


Ever I saw your face

by Ariadne_Raven



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 0-8-4s (Marvel), F/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Bahrain (Agents of SHIELD), SHIELD 616 | The Bus, Tahiti (Agents of SHIELD)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:55:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariadne_Raven/pseuds/Ariadne_Raven
Summary: A slightly divergent take on Phil and Melinda's relationship, inspired by 0-8-4 (Season 1 episode 2) Phil gets his Bus, his 'driver'...and into hot water.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Agents of SHIELD Team, Phil Coulson & Melinda May, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	Ever I saw your face

**Author's Note:**

> Longtime fan of Agents of SHIELD but finally dipping my toe into the world of fan fiction. Comments welcome, and thanks for reading. I hope it's not too lame.

**Ever I saw your face**

Phil Coulson was dreaming. The pain in his chest was gone, the last sight he remembered having seen was Nick Fury’s face looking worriedly down at him. Then there was nothingness. Until there was warmth, and sunlight, and fruity cocktails and a massage therapist whose command of English wasn’t superb but whose skills in unknotting his muscles certainly were beyond superb. Sublime, even.

He remembered Fury telling him, “You clocked out for about 2 minutes, Coulson. We got the medical team to airlift you to Bethesda, and repaired the damage to your heart, muscles and arteries. You’re taking a couple months rest and relaxation. In Tahiti. It’s a magical place. You’ll love it.” Then he was back at the Triskelion, and Fury was briefing him on his new assignment. He would have a small, elite team and do covert operations from his mobile command centre; not the helicarrier, but a modified C17 Globemaster jet with vertical take off and landing capabilities—and a whole lot more. With typical Phil Coulson humour, he nicknamed his new dream plane “the Bus.” And he knew exactly who he needed to drive his bus.

He found her in her cubicle, long past the time other agents had left for the day. “This is where they actually make the red tape, isn’t it?” He murmured to Agent Melinda May, who looked up at him and smiled, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Melinda,” he said. “Phil.” She looked steadily at him, her dark eyes meeting his deep blue ones, and he felt a stirring in his blood. “I need you to drive the bus on my new team,” he said quietly. “You won’t see combat. Just drive the bus. And it’s a pretty nice Bus, at that."

She smiled again, and this time the warmth was there, and he felt another flush go through him. Maybe it wasn’t too late for them...but he wouldn’t rush her. “How many on the team?” She asked.

“Two young scientists, a specialist, me, you...that’s to start with,” he replied. “I do have my eye on a talented young hacker who might make a good consultant, and I expect to have a few others join us once we’re up and running.” He looked quizzically at her. “Come on, May. It’ll be fun.”

Melinda nodded and said quietly, “How was Tahiti?” “Oh, it’s a magical place,” Phil said with a warm smile. “It would have been more magical if you’d been there, though.” Uh oh. Too soon? He hastened to add, “I know how much you like cheap and cheerful cocktails, and fresh seafood and fruit, and just lounging with a good book...” She gave a noncommittal shrug. “You love to swim so I assume you were in the water every chance you had?”

He hesitated a moment. “Not at first, while I was still healing from the surgery. But later, yes. And surfing a little. And walking...”

Melinda cleared away her paperwork, picked up her briefcase and jacket and smiled at her longtime friend and erstwhile partner. “It’ll be great to work with you again, Coulson,” she said with a smile. “So long as you don’t abandon me in the water like our first mission; or try to talk to Russians about their cats.”

———————————

Two missions in, and they were already in hot water. Melinda was unconscious in the cockpit of the bus, dragged from her seat while one of Peruvian military colonel Camilla Reyes’ commandos took over. Phil was sprawled on the floor and tightly tied to one of the support beams in his office, and he wasn’t even sure where the rest of his team was.

When he didn’t respond to Reyes’ questioning, one of her thugs punched him hard in the face, and Phil’s only response was to spit out the blood and tell his former ally, “I will not give up the 0-8-4 to you. I won’t give you the safe passage you need to clear our airspace. That’s not on the table. Give up now, and I’ll plead your case to Fury.”

Reyes prowled back and forth in front of him like an angry panther. “You might be prepared to die for your country, but what about your young dream team?” She mocked him. “Will you be so cocky and defiant when we hang one of them out the cargo bay door? Or that red Corvette you’re so proud of?”

“Her name is Lola. We saved your asses.” Phil said calmly. “And this is the thanks we get? Some misguided nationalism that calls you to steal an unknown, dangerous, probably deadly device?”

“I will have it,” she replied coldly. “You surrendered your plane to save the boy scientist. What will you do for the pilot? For that girl you’re dragging along?”

While they sparred verbally, Phil was picking at the rope binding his wrists. He had almost gotten it off when he spied one of Fitzsimmons’ drones sweeping quietly into the room, heading towards the 0-8-4. Realizing what was about to happen, Phil quickly retied the rope to the pole, and fixed a loop in one end. When the drone hit the device’s power button, it obligingly blasted a hole in the side of his plane.

Two of the commandos were immediately sucked out, while Phil found himself hurled through the air, only being checked when he came to the end of the rope, which he had looped his arm through. He pulled himself back from the gaping hole, caught Camilla before she too could be sucked out, and lashed her to the post.

About that time Grant and Skye came through on lines with carabiners and they grabbed Phil and hauled him to safety. Ward put a beating on the remaining commando until he was unconscious, and unfortunately the man flew out the hole before they could secure him. Skye released one of the plane’s life rafts and it flew through the air and plastered itself over the hull breach.

Suddenly it was quiet again, and the three Shield agents stood catching their breath as Fitz and Simmons joined them, having recovered the 084.

“Where’s May?” Phil cried.

“Retaking the cockpit,” Ward replied. “She got free first and crossed off a couple of Reyes’ people, then once we were free to execute our plan she headed for the front of the plane.”

Phil turned on his heel and tore down the steps from his office and toward the cockpit, dreading what he might find. What he found was an unconscious commando cuffed to the jump seat, and Melinda calmly bringing the Bus back to level flight. She glanced up as Phil barrelled into her “office”, and she was about to say something when he caught her hand in his, raised her to her feet, and looked her up and down for injuries. She smiled at him reassuringly and said, “Nice to see you,” at which point he drew her to him, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her most thoroughly.

For a few seconds she didn’t react or respond, and the doubt demon in his head started to berate him about being stupid. Then suddenly she relaxed, and sighed into his mouth, and her arms came up to curl around his neck. She parted her lips to accept his moving possessively over hers, his tongue asking for entrance to her mouth, while he held her even more tightly. They parted from their kiss briefly, both breathless and exhilarated, and stared at each other.

Phil’s eyes were filled with tenderness and something more, and Melinda gazed back at him in amazement. “I thought you would never make a move,” she said softly, running one hand over his face and through his hair while her other hand slid gently down his neck and chest, pausing to open his shirt. He flinched, and she calmed him with another kiss before dropping her eyes to his heart. She gazed at the huge scar like an angry lightning strike on his muscular chest, the knotted and reddened skin telling the tale of his ordeal with Loki. She lifted her glance back to Phil’s face, his blue eyes wide and vulnerable and hopeful, and then she leaned forward to kiss the scar tenderly.

Phil had never felt so much emotion coursing through him in his life. He had loved Melinda quietly for so long—happy for her when she started dating Civilian Number 14, Andrew Garner, who became her husband. He had been there for her when Bahrain happened and her marriage imploded; she had encouraged his relationship with the cellist. They worked together, drank together, laughed and talked and had each other’s backs, always. And then New York happened, and Tahiti, and now here they were.

At last.

He reached for Melinda’s chin, and raised her face to his so he could cover her mouth with his own again. This kiss was even longer and deeper, as all the emotions they had held back for so long were suddenly allowed to run free. Melinda broke the kiss first, reluctantly, but giving Phil quick little kisses on his nose, his cheeks, his chin. She smiled at him, and all the warmth he had known in her before Bahrain was there, unmasked at last.

“We should probably let The Sandbox know where we are,” she murmured, “and make sure the prisoners are all secured. And advise that we will need significant repairs to our plane.” She brushed her fingers tenderly across Phil’s cheek and back into his hair, leaning up to whisper, “then I think we should continue this discussion, don’t you?”

Phil stared at the beautiful woman in his arms, whose rich brown eyes were alive again and whose lips were reddened from their kisses. He knew Fury would yell and rant and rave about damage to the plane, but at the same time he’d be pleased that Coulson’s team had managed to secure the 0-8-4 and capture the rebels while having no significant injuries—that they had gelled as a team. He could deal with all Fury’s dramatics. He could deal with debriefing his young team, eager to praise them and help them process the events, because the woman he loved would be by his side to help him with this and all things.

He smiled and nodded but didn’t speak, opting instead to tighten his arms around Melinda and kiss her again with everything he had.


End file.
